Process and apparatus for distillation of combustible materials



Nov. 6, 192s 1,690,935

0. HUBMANN PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLATION 0F COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS Filed Dec. 7, 1926 07/0 Hu Irma-1m Patented Nov; 6, 1928.

UNITED. STATES I I 1,s90,93s PATENT "OFFICE.

omammn, or rmxronr-on-rnn-mam, ennmanz-assrenon T mn'raniram: is marunuaerscna GESELLSCHAFT, axrmnensnnnscnar'r, or FRANK- ron'r-oN-rnE-MAIN, GERMANY, A conronarron or GERMANY.

rnocnss Am APPARATUS roa DISTILLATION or comBusr'mLE MATERIALS.

Application filed. December 7, 1926, Serial No -This invention relates tothe distillation of carbonaceous materials, containing a volatile portion and a combustible solid portion, especially those which have a high ash content, by passing heated gases through such material, This class of materials such as oil shale or slaty coal has heretofore been treat- 'ed in 'gasifyingdevices with an overlying distillation zone, in such a manner that the bitumen content ofthe 'combustible material was driven off in the distillation zone and that .thereupon the residue still containing much carbonaceous material was further degasified as much as possible. This further 5 degasification is objectionable as much slagging takes place which necessitates anuneconomically greater addition of steam.- Further there is required a long degasifying zone andan accordmgly expensive construction, since the high ash content greatly re-' tards the progress of the reaction. It was therefore more economical to entirely omit the degasification of -theresidue'and to heat the distillation apparatus by expensive combustible material .from an external source. According to this invention, the carbon con-' tentofthe distillation residue isonly partially degasified or burnt in a reaction zone lying beneath the distillation zone, and this 80 reaction is so conducted that only so much heat is taken away from the residue as is necessary to supply the heat requirement of the whole distillationprocess.

The distillation process is carried out as follows:

' Thegaseousdistilling medium, either poor in or free from 0 gen, is first suitably preheated by heat-'exc an e with the hot distillation residue. Then efore it is admitted 40 to the distillation zone, it is brought to the temperature requisite for distillation by mix- ,ture with the hot reaction gases-which are produced in the reaction .zone by introduction of air, preheated if necessary, into the distillation residue. The thus heated distillation medium passesinto the distillation zoneand thence into an apparatus for. the se aration of the valuable distillation products. After the separation, there remains a b combustible 'gas, which can be used in the cycle as adistillmg medium, ,for example by conducting it into the cooling zone for the hot residue. -'Any surplus gas'can, in well known'manner, be burnttor preheating the 153,180, and in Germany December 18,1925

charge to be distilled, whereby evidently an advantageous diminution of the heat requirements for the distillation will be attained.

For better regulation and control of the process a part of the distilling medium instead of being passed directly into'the cool- .ing zone beneath the distillation zone can be introduced thereinto in such manner that the residue-cooling gasesand the reaction gases can be sucked out of the reaction zone. Thereby there is insured a good mlxing and uniform heating up of gas current entering the Thecool gases, which are thus preheated can also be mixed with the distilling medium.

In like manner the channels for the introduction of combustion air into the reaction .zone can be cooled by gases, whereby the premature destruction of these channels, made of iron, is avoided and the baking-on of the residue to the Walls is prevented.

By this newprocess it is possible to carry out the reaction in the reaction zone without the usual mixture of steam, and because of the increased reaction velocity the reaction zone can be kept very short. Preferably the gas used for cooling airchannels and thereby preheated, is alsomixed with the distilling medium either directly or usually after passing through the residue-cooling.

zone. The apparatus used is shown in the accompanying figuresin which Fig. I is a sectional elevation, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on plane II-II of Fig. 1;

The numeral 1 indicates the distilling shazt't or stack with the distillation zone 2, the re action zone 3 and theresidue-cooling zone 4.

5, 5 are the conduits for introducing gases into the residue-cooling zone and 6, 6 the conduits for introducing air. 7 is a device for withdrawing the residue-coohng 'gas and the gas'from the *reactionzone, and comprises a gas passage 9 and-a coolingconduitf'd through which flow coolgases.

' The conduits 10 serve to introduce the disv by the rate of withdrawal of the residue from tilling medium into the shaft beneath the distillin zone, while the gas resulting from the distillation and carrying the condensible distillation, products is drawn off through pipe 11. 12 is an injector-like arrangement for sucking the gases out of the passages 9.

The operation is as follows The preferably previously dried solid combustible material passes down through the distillation zone 2, the reaction zone 3 and the residue-cooling zone 4 at a rate controlled v the residuecooling zone 4:.

v5 and8;

duit 8 serve to operate theejector 7. The excess of gas is removed through valve 17 and -can be utilized for other purposes.-

- of heat energy from. extraneous sources the zone 4, is

Through the conduits 5 cool oxygen-free combustible gasesare introduced into the residue-cooling zone. Through the conduits ed gases from'the cooling zone 4 and the products of combustion or reaction gases from the zone 3 are sucked out through the passage 9. by the ejector apparatus 7 It is not material whether or not the combustible distilling medium, which has been preheated in burned toe small extent. From the passage 9 the gases are forced-by the. injector 12 1nto the conduitslO, which are con nected to the injector chamber by conduits indicated in dotted lines. From the conduits 10, the hot combined gases ass'into the. distillationzone. The gases owingout of the distillation zone 2 pass through conduit 11 into a cooler and separator-13 for removal of the condensible constituents. The cooled gases are compressed by fan 14 and, by suitably adjusting valves 15 and '16, returned to the distillation apparatus through conduits the gases introduced through con- .The cool gases flowing through the con; duits 5cool in an efiective manner the p1pes 6 through which combustion air is mtroduced and prevent the baking .on of the heated residue to the shaft walls.

Obviously, several at these distillation shafts can bearranged in series one after the other.

By this process the difliculties ofdegasifying residues of ash-containin combustible material are obviated without 1: e utilization of heat. {There results therefore an essential advance in the 'Iclaim: v. 1-. Process'for thevcontinuous distfllatlon distillation of combusti ble materialsof high ash-content.

combustible material, sucking out and mixmg the hot gases from both zones, and passing them into the distillation zone, where distillation of the charge .is effected.

2. A process asclaimed in clam liin which the sucking out and mixing of the gases from the residue and the residue-cooling zones is effected by the injector action of a current of 7 cool oxygen-free gases heated by! indirect contact with the downwardly moving charge. 3. Apparatus for distillation, of carbonaceous materials containing-avolatile portion and a combustible solid portion b I contact with hot gases comprising a. sha having means for charging and discharging material, means for introducing hot gases into the upper portion of the shaft, thereby forming a distilling zone, means for introducingairinto the charge below forming a reactionzone, of the shaft, thereby forming a charge-cools ing and gas-preheating zpne, aforesaid means for introducing hot gases'into the upper portion of the shaftv compris' injector means for sucking out the preheated and reaction gases and a conduit for introducin said pre-,

heated andreaction gases into the owerport'ion of the distilling zone. A I 4'. An apparatus as claimed in claim '3 in which. the injector means'comprises a conduit extending across theshaftbetween the i'eaction. zone and -the-dis ti]li1 1g zone and adapted to be connected at one end to a source ofcool gas and havingan injector nozzleatits located immediatel other end, a gas passage beneath said conduit, the wall of the sha having formed thereon a chamber into which. e'and said injector nozzle and said? P P a conduit connected to the exitend of said. chamber and to the interior of the shaft.

5. An apparatuses claimed in claim 3 in which means for mtroducing cool s are 10- cated on the side walls-of the sha in proximity to the means for introducing air.

testimony whereof, I aflix my signature;

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the distilling zone, thereby I means forintrodu mg an oxygen-free gas JDtO the lower portion-- ins emu-mare or- CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,690,935. Granted November 6, 1928, to

OTTO HUBMANN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent -requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 75, claim 2, for the word "clam" read "claim" and line 77, for the word "residue" fira t occurrence read "reaction"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office. I 4

' Signed and sealed this 11th day of December, A. D- 1928.

M. J. Moore,. (Seal) I Acting Commissioner of Patentaw 

